The use of racks to store and/or transfer components, parts, etc. is known. In addition, racks having a plurality of rollers such that components and/or component trays can be moved from one location to another location are also known. Such racks can move the components and/or component trays along the plurality of rollers through the use of gravity, mechanized rollers, and the like.
In some instances, a dolly can be used and loaded with components and/or component trays at a first location and then rolled to a desired second location where the components and/or component trays are unloaded from the dolly. For example and for illustrative purposes only, the dolly can be used to receive components and/or component trays from a first rack at the first location and then rolled to the second location where the components and/or trays are transferred onto a second rack.
It is appreciated that as the first set of components and/or component trays are moved from the first location to the second location, that a second set of components and/or component trays can be placed on the first rack and be available for loading onto the dolly when it returns to the first location. In this manner, components can be supplied to an assembly line in a continuous and time-efficient manner. It is also appreciated that the components and/or component trays must be held at a desired position or location on the first rack, the dolly, and/or the second rack until desired unloading and/or loading can take place. As such, the first rack, the dolly, and/or the second rack can include a stopper system that prevents the components and/or component trays from moving beyond a specified point thereon.
Heretofore stopper systems have typically used mechanical lever mechanisms to move a stopper arm from a stop position that prevents the components and/or component trays from passing thereby to a pass position that allows the components and/or component trays to pass thereby, and vice versa. Such mechanical mechanisms generally require metal-to-metal contact between, for example, a dolly and a first rack or a dolly and a second rack. In addition, such types of stopper systems require sufficient physical force in order to move the stopper arm between the stop and pass positions and this force can result in significant wear of the stopper system components and/or jostling of the components and/or component trays on the dolly, first, rack, second rack, etc. As such, an improved stopper system that overcomes the problems of heretofor stopper systems and affords for components and/or component trays to be transferred from a first rack to a dolly and/or from a dolly to a second rack would be desirable.